AuraVax Therapeutics, Inc., a US-based biotechnology company, announced on Tuesday that it has named Joseph C Sullivan as its new chief executive officer.

Sullivan has served as chief commercial officer at Nature's Toolbox. He has more than 30 years of experience in commercialising vaccines and biologics, including heading new vaccine products at Merck & Co, Inc.

Dr Laurence Cooper, AuraVax co-founder, said, 'We are thrilled that Joe is leading the company. He brings three decades of highly relevant experience in small and large biotechnology companies. He has successfully launched drugs, licensed technologies, and built pharmaceutical collaborations. While at Nature's Toolbox, Inc., Joe formed research collaborations with multinational and regional vaccine companies. At Merck, he managed the introduction of the vaccine Gardasil in the US and led the growth of Singulair into a multi-billion-dollar business in asthma and allergic rhinitis. Under his leadership, AuraVax will be undertaking its first clinical studies to evaluate NanoSTING, its lead therapeutic candidate. The preclinical in vivo animal data shows our technology can enhance the immune system to address infections by many different respiratory viruses without evidence of adverse events.'